On the fiftieth anniversary of the historic Colts Giants NFL Championship game, TIME takes a look at the roster of players, coaches, referees and announcers who helped turn pro football from a niche sport into the true national pastime

Steve Myhra

By Sean GregoryMonday, Dec. 29, 2008

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The Game: Though he missed three extra points and 60% of his field goals during the '58 season, and had a 27-yarder blocked in the first quarter, the second-year player from University of North Dakota, who also played linebacker during the game, delivered when it mattered most. Myhra made a 20-yard field goal in the waning seconds of regulation to tie the game at 17. "I told myself I better not miss it," Myhra said. "or it would be a long, cold winter back on the farm in North Dakota."

Post-Game: Played a total of five seasons in the NFL, and one more in Canada. After his football career, opened a sporting goods store and ran an insurance company in North Dakota. Myhra died of a heart attack, at 60, in 1994.